Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were team-mates at Mercedes Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were team-mates at Mercedes 
Nico Rosberg lauded "the greatest of all time" Lewis Hamilton's final drive for Mercedes at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, while also paying tribute to his former team-mate. (More Motorsport News)
The curtain came down on a 12-year partnership between Hamilton and Mercedes on Sunday, with the Briton replacing Carlos Sainz at Ferrari for the 2025 campaign.
Hamilton charged from 16th to fourth on his 246th and final appearance for Mercedes in a brilliant drive that saw him overtake team-mate George Russell on the final lap.
During Hamilton's time with Mercedes, he set the records for the most wins (105), most pole positions (104) and podium finishes (202).
F1 In Year 2025: Expect Close Races, Lewis Hamilton To Ferrari And Plenty Of New Faces However, he did finish a season outside the top six for the first time in his career in 2024, while also scoring his lowest points in a campaign since 2013 with McLaren (189).
But Rosberg, who drove alongside Hamilton from 2013 to 2016, labelled the Briton's final drive for the Silver Arrows as "phenomenal".
"The way he drove was the drive of a seven-time world champion, the greatest of all time, because that race speed again," said Rosberg.
"He passed George at the end and George started right towards the front and Lewis started at the back. It was a phenomenal drive by Lewis."
On the final-lap pass of Russell at turn nine itself, Rosberg said: "That was insane!
"The way he lined him up, it was perfection. Through that whole section around the back, overtaking on the outside. The drive of a seven-time world champion. Respect."
Wherever he goes, he’ll always be Mr Mercedes pic.twitter.com/u1n5zK6RQa
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) December 8, 2024During Rosberg's time with Mercedes alongside Hamilton, the pair won 54 of 78 races over four seasons, winning three drivers' championships between them.
Hamilton had 32 victories, 55 podium finishes and qualified ahead of Rosberg 42 times, while the German managed 22 wins, 50 podium finishes and qualified ahead of his team-mate 36 times.
Despite their success, it transcended into a rivalry both on and off the track, which was dubbed 'The Silver War' and compared to Ayrton Senna's clash with Alain Prost during their eight-year partnership at McLaren.
But Rosberg's relationship with Hamilton dates back to their teenage years when they were first team-mates in karting.
Hamilton has been signed to Mercedes since the age of 13 in 1998, when he was first part of their young driver programme at then works partners McLaren.
After spending the first six years of his Formula One career at McLaren, where he won his first world title in his second campaign in 2008, Hamilton joined Rosberg at Mercedes.
"Even for me, it's emotional to watch this, because, of course, I witnessed it from so close, and it's the greatest partnership in Formula 1 history," Rosberg said.
"It's crazy that it's coming to an end, and for him also, he's been with the Mercedes family for almost 30 years.
"And again, I was there. We started racing with each other when we were 12 years old, so I was there from the very beginningspincasino, which even gives me goosebumps now just thinking about the whole thing."